The Complete Story Behind How A Hardcore Huntress Became The Hunted On Social Media
Melissa Bachman is a trophy hunter. She hunts animals and posts pictures of her prey on Facebook and Twitter. But the Internet isn't happy about that.
By Sadho Ram — 19 Nov 2013, 01:41 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
This is Melissa Bachman. She hosts a US TV show called "Winchester Deadly Passion". Melissa is a self-styled "hardcore huntress" who likes doing what she does.
Melissa posted a smiling picture of herself with a dead lion in front of her, gushing about her 'incredible hunting day.'
Melissa Bachman - who presents American hunting show Winchester Deadly Passion - posted a picture on her Facebook account which showed her holding a gun and smiling next to the apparently dead male lion.
mirror.co.uk
TV presenter and hunter Melissa Bachman posted this photo of herself with a lion she killed in South Africa, tweeting, 'What a hunt!'
Image via nydailynews.comThe image was posted along with the message: "An incredible day hunting in South Africa! Stalked inside 60-yards on this beautiful male lion... What a hunt!"
dailymail.co.ukBut her enthusiasm was not shared by over 219,000 petitioners, who signed a petition to ban Bachman from South Africa.
At the time of publishing this story, a Change.org petition requesting that the South African government deny Bachman's entry into the country has racked up over 219,000 signatures and counting.
change.org
Cape Town resident Elan Burman launched a Change.org petition to get the 'avid hunter' banned from ever returning to her country.
Image via nydailynews.comThe petition came after she posted a smiling picture of herself with a dead lion she killed in South Africa in early November.
mashable.com
Elan Burman, a Cape Town resident who started the petition, says:
Melissa "is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation" that South Africa stands for.
nydailynews.com
"Her latest Facebook post features her with a lion she has just executed and murdered in our country," Burman wrote in the petition. "As tax payers we demand she no longer be granted access to this country and its natural resources."
mirror.co.ukThe petition has picked up a great deal of steam, with celebrities like Ricky Gervais and Matthew Inman, founder of The Oatmeal, supporting it.
Even a Facebook page called "Stop Melissa Bachman" has gathered over 120,000 Likes since its creation on November 14.
Her website feature smiling photos of her next to many slain animals
The 'Trophy Room' section of Bachman's website has 65 photographs of her posing with different dead animals.
dailymail.co.uk
Bachman shared this photo on her Facebook page of a zebra she killed in South Africa.
Image via nydailynews.com
Television presenter and hunter Bachman poses with a dead warthog in the 'trophy room' section of her website.
Image via nydailynews.com
Bachman posted this photo on her Facebook page on Oct. 27: 'My first Alaska brown bear ... a beautiful and extremely blonde one to top it off!'
Image via nydailynews.com
She also has an official YouTube channel that includes videos of her posing with her prey. Here's a teaser video of her show's Season 2.
This isn't the first Change.org petition against Bachman
Last year Ms Bachman was removed as a contestant on the National Geographic show Ultimate Survival Alaska when over 13,000 people signed a petition criticising her inclusion.
So, is all the hue and cry legit? Well, hunting lions is legal in South Africa. Here's taking a look at the other side of the argument.
While the images Bachman was posting online were no doubt disturbing to a large number of people on social media, there are a couple of things about the various online reactions that suggest trying to get her banned from a country, or hoping “she gets breast cancer and dies in pain”, as one tweeter put it, might be a little misplaced.
memeburn.com
"Please note that we are in no way condoning canned lion hunting nor condemning responsible hunting done in the name of conservation. That’s not our argument. We’re merely suggesting that the rage directed at Bachman could have been sent down more effective online avenues," writes Stuart Thomas of memeburn.com.
scallywagandvagabond.comBachman was doing something completely legal with a permit, not to mention paid thousands and thousands of dollars to hunt legally inside South Africa. The anti-hunting lynch mob has implied she did something illegal. She didn't.
townhall.com
Second, the petition and description from Change.org are dishonest. Bachman wasn't hunting for "pure sport." All of the meat from the lion was donated to people in need, which is standard practice for a majority of Africa hunts.
memeburn.com
Third, hunting makes up a huge part of South Africa's economy, banning hunters is suicidal. Fourth, "executed and murdered"...? Drama much? The proper term is "hunting." Fifth, Change.org is grossly distorting the definition of conservation.
scallywagandvagabond.com